Tennessee football at Auburn: 10 keys to the game

3. Health of Vols’ secondary

It’s no secret that Tennessee football’s pass defense has been atrocious all year. Part of that, though, has come down to injuries. Shawn Shamburger, their starting nickel who was their best player, has only played two games this year. He’s now going to sit out the rest of the year.

Beyond Shamburger, though, Bryce Thompson, their best cornerback, has played all year banged up. Alontae Taylor, who starts opposite Thompson, has had to miss multiple games as well. When you add all this together, it makes sense why they struggled. After all, they lost their glue guy in Nigel Warrior, and Thompson, Taylor and Shamburger have all missed significant time.

With Shamburger now out and the fact that Warrior can’t walk through the door, the health of Thompson and Taylor will be critical. If both can go and are at 100 percent, the Vols could have a dramatic improvement in defending the pass. Kenneth George Jr. was horrendous against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Taylor’s absence, so UT needs him back.

Other players like Theo Jackson have been effective, but the Vols are nothing back there if their cornerbacks aren’t full go. Given the second bye in two weeks, that should have been the main focus of Jeremy Pruitt. Getting those guys back could change everything.